Adjustable partition for sliding drawers



(NdMbdeL) Y J. H. F. DIXON. ADJUSTABLE PARTITION FOR SLIDING DRAWER/S. No. 436,626. Patented Sept. 16. 1890.

WITNE$SES3 INVENTOR'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JAMES Hi F. DIXON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADJUSTABLE PARTITION FOR SLIDING DRAWERS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,626, dated September 16, 1890.

Application filed March 5, 1890. Serial No. 342,682. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY FAIR- WEATHER DIXON, a citizen of the United States, residingin the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Adjustable Partition for Sliding Drawers, of which the following is a specification.

Incident to the employment of the ordinary sliding desk-drawers to contain piles of envelopes, blanks, and similar articles has been the disadvantage that the abrupt movements to which the drawers are subjected in their opening and closing occasion the overthrow and confusion of such piles and other contents. To obviate this it has been usual to construct such drawers with permanent partitions constituting inclosing compartments of sizes proportioned to the size and character of the articles to be contained, which partitions in said movement of the drawers support such articles against overthrow. Inclosing compartments formed by such permanent partitions have been found objectionable, because, first, they do not, when it is desired to lodge larger articles, for instance, in acompartment which has been constructed to hold articles of a given and smaller size, permit of the necessary adjustment, and, second, because when articles-such as sheets of paper piled together-areiuclosed bypartitions which maintain them against overthrow such partitions prevent-that access of the fingers to the sides of the paper which is necessary to permit of their being picked up.

My invention. relates to the partitions of such sliding drawers; and its object is the provision of partitions which can not only be adjusted or removed to various desired positions within the drawer in connection with which they are employed, but which also, while operating to firmly support against overthrow articles contained within the compartments which they form, permit access to the sides of the contained articles.

Generally stated, my invention comprehends the provision of a wall member which acts as the partition proper and which is provided with a supporting-leg or driven shank adapted to be engaged with the substance of the drawer.

In the drawings, to which reference is to be had for the better understanding of my invention, I show three different constructions of wall member alike embodying my inven-- ber A consists of a flat oblong rectangular sheet of materialconveniently plate metalone end of which is provided with or merged into a threaded shank B.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the wall member consists of a frame constructed. of a section of wire bent to a somewhat fanciful out-line, as shown in said figure, all of the convolutions of the wire, however, lying in practically a common plane, so as to present a flat bearing-surface. To the lower end of the wall member A so formed is secured a screw-shank B, similar to that of Fig. 2. In practice these screw-shanks are preferably formed with gimlet-points, so as to be readily inserted when ever desired.

In the embodyment of the invention shown in Fig. 4; the wall member A is shown as formed of a flat oblong rectangular piece of metal having a sharp-pointed barb or tongue out from its own substance, which barb is turned out and down so as to project below the lower edge of the wall member. In. this construction the tongue so formed is used as the driven shank or retaining device, to he insorted in the wood of the bot-tom of the drawer in lieu of the screw-shanks of the construction of Figs. 2 and 3.

In the practical employment of my invention it is obvious that wall members of a great variety of construction and other than the forms shown may without departure from my invention be resorted to.

It will now be understood that the removable partition may be readily placed at any desirable point in a drawer, according to the either of screws, as in Figs. 2 and 3, or of a tack or nail, as in Fig. 4. I therefore in the claims speak of a driven shank in a sense which is broad enough to include either the screw or nail or any kindred device which may be engaged directly with the substance of the drawer itself.

It is apparent that for retaining such articles as piles of envelopes or sheets of paper one detachable partition employed at the side of a pile will have as great efficiency as a permanent partition extending along the entire side of said articles. It is also apparent that an adjustable partition, covering, as it does, only a portion of the longitudinal edges of a pile of envelopes or other contained articles, permits of ready access to the uncovered edges of said contained articles to permit of their being picked up at will.

I prefer, for economy of space and for the purpose of making a better contact with the edges ofihe articles to be supported, to employ wall members of the flat forms shown in the drawings and herein described; but it is obvious that useful results would be attained by the use of wall members which were flat as to only one side.

Having thusdescribed my invention,I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. As an article of manufacture, a rem0vable drawer-partition consisting of a broad fiat wall member provided with a shank which may be driven into the substance of the drawer at any desired point and without the previous formation of recesses in said drawer, substantially as set forth.

2. As an article of manufacture, a remov-= able drawer-partition consisting of a broad I flat wall member, and a screw-threaded shank attached to said wall member, substantially as set forth.

3. A desk-drawer embodying a series of compartments formed by removable partitions, each of which is composed of a wallmember and a driven shank, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have hereunto signed myname this 1st day of March, A. D. 1890.

J. H. F. DIXON. vIn presence of F. NORMAN DIXON, LEWIs ALTMAIER. 

